The parsha teaches about a red heifer,A word that only rhymes with zephyr;An easier word you can say for it now,‘Cuz a heifer is really a girl kind of __________!

[2]

This may be a source of infernal frustration;But please guess the meaning of the word “lustration.”Does it mean envy, purity, festivity, wrath…Or maybe the steam that escaped from your bath?

[3]

The mitzvos we learn from the Torah so dear,Six-thirteen we read in our shuls each year.But only three different kinds – what a shock;Mishpatim and eidos, and those called a __________!

[4]

Moshe lived for honesty, and not for petty lies,But Aharon’s death was news the Jews accepted with surprise;In fact, they couldn’t believe him at first – So how did Hashem help them realize the worst?

[5]

It’s very strange to think Hashem would take a man to task,For messing up a little thing that He would deign to ask;And yet we know He holds tzaddikim higher than the rest,And we can see that Moshe here had failed to do his best. What was his mistake?

[6]

In many ways we’re all confused with what this parsha teaches,And many different folks all come to help explore its reaches;When Moshe hit the rock so hard, to quench the masses’ thirst,He got water the second time, but what came out the first???

STUMPED?? Here are some answers: [ 1 ] Cow! Do Torah translators get paid for finding fancier words???[ 2 ] Purity. The red heifer ritual was used to create “waters of lustration.” Google it – it’s true! Speaking of fancy words…[ 3 ] Chok (see Devarim 4:45).[ 4 ] They couldn’t believe that Aharon, who’d helped them defeat death and was more beloved than Moshe, was gone. Some even claimed Moshe murdered him. Hashem showed them a vision of Aharon on his deathbed, which quelled the rumours. (Rashi 20:29)[ 5 ] He hit the rock instead of speaking to it (20:11).[ 6 ] Blood. The midrash in Shemos Rabba (13:3) introduces this based on a verse in Tehillim (78:20). Somewhat convoluted, but fascinating!